The Bride is Always Late: Irish Wedding Blog from WeddingDates.ie » Hen Party

Having Fun Along The Way: 3 Hen Party Ideas

ClaireB — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:56:54 +0000

I will be heading to a hen night soon. Hen nights, Irish style are fundamentally different to hen nights in most other countries that I have been too and I have been to my fair share. I won’t bore you with the details but let’s just say that Irish girls know how to have a good time.

Here are three great ideas from girls who are still talking about their night’s out:

1. Form a girl band. Record a song.

Dance Fix Ireland help you to do this and actually pull it off. Every girl gets a copy of the song for the memory box and hey, who doesn’t love dancing and singing?

2. Organise a special night away.
Posh Fizz are a travel agent dedicated to making the hen night the best one ever. They specialise in women’s events. They give a great list to help you ensure success for your event.

3. Do something creative.
Learn how to do something adventurous. Or go on an art jam.

Have fun most of all! Let us know if you did something creative that others might not have thought of.

Like this? You might also like:

Fun on the Farm for the Hen

Ciara Crossan — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:44:59 +0000

Been putting off this blog post for a week or so coz I really wanted to do it justice!! The weekend before last, our blogging bride Liz Killeen had her Hen Party. And boy, what a weekend it was!! THe whole thing was organised by her best friends and bridesmaids Alison and Claire and they kept the whole thing a secret from Liz, and even managed to keep alot of the hens in the dark too!

So…what did we do that made the weekend so great?!

Firstly, we all met in the Headfort Arms Hotel in Kells, Co. Meath. Random spot eh, for a bunch of women travelling from Kerry, Cork and Dublin. Well, they definitely didn’t disappoint. The Headfort is a very unassuming hotel on the main street in Kells, and what it lacks in impact from the outside it more than makes up for it with the wow factor once you step through the door. The staff couldn’t do enough for us and made us feel so special and welcome. A far cry from when many establishments were turning down Hens and Stags. The team in the Headfort were top class.

On the Friday night, we all checked in and had a drink in the bar before going up to Liz’s large suite-style bedroom ( the plaque on the door read “Hens Nest”!) The girls had brought along the playstation and Liz’s favourite, Singstar Superstar. The girl is a karaoke queen! We got the mics out and after half an hour or so of warming up the vocal chords came a knock on the door. Oh shite we thought to ourselves – the first complaint of the weekend! But no, it was one of the managers Edel delivering pizza and cosmos to the room! Sipping from our martini glasses we felt very Sex-in-the-city I have to say!

No surprise after the potent cocktails getting up on Saturday morning was not pleasant for most of us, but after a full Irish breakfast we managed to get our act together in time for the bus at 12. Decked out in tracksuits and hoodies we landed at Causey Farm to do their farmers wife course! We did some Irish Dancing in a barn and learned the Seige of Ennis , we milked a cow and petted lambs. We each baked a loaf of brown bread and then went for a ride in a tractor trailer. We hiked in the bog (and one of us even fell in a bog hole!) What an absolute scream of a day, one of the funnest things to do for a bunch of women to relax and get to know one another. By the end of it all we had walked off our hangovers and had laughed so much we had pains in our sides.

Back to the hotel and we were whisked into the bar and offered a glass of wine each and they brought out platters of paninis for us to share. We ate and drank our way through the weekend, in the Headfort you couldn’t get hungry! Afterwards, exhausted but happy we chilled out in our rooms for awhile (they were really quaint and had great character – I think we were in the old part of the hotel, so there was a lovely feel to the rooms which were all different).

And then on to the evenings entertainment. Well, we provided most of it ourselves dressing up in Glam Rock 80′s Madonna style and what can I say…we looked like utter lunatics! It didn’t help the fact that the hotel was hosting a hunt ball that evening so all the other residents and guests were in black tie! Thankfully the hotel gave us a private dining room and decorated it with pink balloons, fresh flowers on the table and a special Hen Party Menu with full 3 course meal options.

After the delicious meal and some fun with photos etc we headed to Navan to The Palace late bar/nightclub to dance the night away…. with 1 male addition to the party!! ;)

All in all a fantastic weekend and incredble value at €199 per person for all accomodation, food, the activity and everything. I would highly recommend the Headfort Arms and Causey Farm for any hen party looking for something that bit different and for everyone that looks for great service at a good value price!

You don’t have to take my word for how much fun it was….I put together this short vid to share with ye all!

Like this? You might also like:

Face into Summer! Workshop in West Cork

Ciara Crossan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:56:47 +0000

We have finally had a little taster of spring over the last few days with blue skies and sunshine (though it is still freezing cold!) Well, we heard word here in WD HQ about a new workshop happening in West Cork this May called “Face into Summer” Brides, to be….it’s time to look after Number One! Why not treat yourself to a fun weekend with friends and learn something new!

Saturday workshop 10am – 5pm:

Learning how to make beauty products from your Kitchen Cupboard and how to use essential oils
Making a product yourself to take home & enjoy
Tips on how to do the perfect Facial and look after your skin

The weekend includes two nights Bed & Breakfast, Saturday workshop, lunch on the Saturday, Bubbles Reception & Four Course Dinner in Druids Restaurant on Saturday night, followed by music in the Kingfisher Bar and costs only €135 per person!! Ideal for a girly break away or even a hen party idea…the hopping town of Clonakilty is nearby, so you can hit the tiles if you want after the workshop!

Sally Miller is a qualified Nurse Aroma Therapist and Massage Therapist. She has many years of experience in skin care and muscular problems. Sally has created her own range of Natural Cosmetics Collection. www.sallymiller.ie

To make a reservation contact The Celtic Ross Hotel a great West Cork Wedding Venue on 023 8848722 or email reservations@celticross.com

Like this? You might also like:

Hens and Stags gone to the Dogs!

Ciara Crossan — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:00:17 +0000

With the dreaded “recession” jetting off for Hen & Stag parties abroad is becoming rarer and rarer, so more people are looking around for fun and different activities in Irish towns and cities around the country. There are Greyhound Stadiums around the country and they are now actively promoting themselves as a Hen & Stag venue of choice.

They have full catering facilities and varied menus from €25 to €45 per head.

Many of the stadiums have links with local hotels to do package deals, which make things even easier to plan! Here’s where you can head to:

Shelbourne Park, Dublin
Curraheen Park in Cork
The Kingdom, Tralee, Co. Kerry
Kilcohan Park, Waterford
Mullingar Greyhound Stadium, Westmeath
Dundalk Greyhound Stadium, Louth

More Infomation is available or book directly online on www.igb.ie, or alternatively call the national sales centre on 1890 269 969.

Like this? You might also like:

Bootee-ful Hens!

Ciara Crossan — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:00:37 +0000

This months competition is courtesy of Boo TeeShirts – personalized t-shirts for hen parties. You can win a custom designed t-shirt for the bride and 9 of her friends simply by telling us how your G2B proposed in the comments! (click on the link above to add a comment) We will pick a winner and announce it in next months newsletter. If you haven’t already signed up to get your monthly wedding fix, you can do so in the pink box on the right —–>>

Like this? You might also like:

How To Hen Party

Ciara Crossan — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:00:20 +0000

This week I was invited to the launch of Kate Hyde’s new book “How To Hen Party“. Kate is the woman behind the hugely successful site henparty.ie which you might have seen on last years Dragons Den series on RTE. henparty.ie features loads of advice and ideas for hen nights as well as featured hotels and suppliers who will help make the hen night a success. With ideas ranging from Poll Dancing to helicopter rides – there surely is something for everyone! The site also includes an online shop where you can conveniently (and at a very affordable price) pick up all the necessary hen paraphernalia.

In the book “How To Hen Party“, Kate advises chief bridesmaids on the “Rules” of the Hen Party and how to make it a night that no one will forget – especially the Hen herself!

The book covers all the essentials including:

Where to go, what to do and how to do it
Games, themes, nice ideas and more
Handling ‘Hen-zilla’
Managing the money side of things
Bringing back The Trousseau and the Kitchen Party

It is recommended for any bride-to-be to give to her chief bridesmaid to ensure she has all the tools at her disposal to organise a great hen night! And with a price tag of only €9.99 it is sure to be snapped off the shelves!! Available in all good bookshops or from the online shop on henparty.ie.

Like this? You might also like:

Hen Heaven

Ciara Crossan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:50:10 +0000

With many places now getting stricter on hens and stags, its great to highlight the towns and accomodation offerings that not only are hen-friendly, but openly welcome a gaggle of women away for a weekend!

One such place is The Surf Lodge in the magnificent Inchydoney Beach, near Clonakilty in West Cork. A stunning part of the country, Inchydoney will make you feel a million miles from your hectic everyday life, yet still is only a 3 minute spin from Clon, a bustling little town well known for its ledgendary music bar DeBarra’s.

The “Hen House” sleeps 16 people, dormatory style and overlooks the blue flag beach. There are plenty of activities to keep the hens entertained for the weekend including Whale Watching, Spa treatments in the nearby Hotel, Moonlight Kayaking and naturally enough, Surfing Lessons. These packages can be added on from €35 – €65 per person.

For a weekend in Wild West Cork – why not check out their fabulous packages for Hens?

Like this? You might also like:

What Kind of Hen are you?

Ciara Crossan — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:32:16 +0000

My cousin is getting married in June, and last weekend we decended on the town of Carlow for her hen party. Girls came from all over Ireland (the bride is from Mayo but works in Kildare) and chose Carlow as a central location. I was initially dubious I have to say (The Stag got to go to Liverpool!) but turned out to be a fanastic location! We stayed in the fabulous Golf Lodges at the Killerig Golf Resort 10kms outside of Carlow. The lodges were a great option as we had a base for the weekend and were able to order in Chinese, cook our own food and of course, bring in plenty of our own drink!

Fancy Dress theme for the night was the 80′s and all of the girls put in a great effort! We had lots of fun in the lodges doing our hair & make up and drinking Cosmopolitans! It is a cheap alternative to going out, particularly if you are doing a 2 night hen. The chief bridesmaid organised some hen-games which we had great gas doing and they were also a good ice-breaker as not everyone at the hen knew each other before hand. One of the games was to split the group into 3 and each team had to design and dress one of the 3 bridesmaid ‘models’ using masking tape and toilet paper! Vera Wang eat your heart out…

We hit the town on Saturday night, going out for a meal and then clubbing to the Foundry, one of the biggest nightclubs in Ireland. As a student-town, there was plenty of buzz in the place and a choice between live band or DJ inside in the massive club. Everywhere was very hen-friendly and I could highly recommend both the Killerig Golf Resort AND Carlow town as an ideal hen destination.

For DIY hen ideas and games (and of course to buy the hen paraphernalia), check out: HenParty.ie and to take the hassle out of organising the hen, have expert hen planner Jenni from www.poshfizz.com take over and possibly even organise some really ‘different’ hen ideas!

Tell us about your own hen experiences? Any good games/locations you have been to?